navigating theology, leadership, & praxis in postmodernity

*all* have sinned – including Christians

“About 25 Christian students yesterday took turns confessing their sins on Nyumburu Cultural Center’s amphitheater stage to counter the message three evangelical Christian preachers espoused on the same stage Tuesday – that “real Christians don’t sin.”

“One by one, we are going to come up [on stage], say our name and acknowledge that we have sinned,” said Ryan Penley, the campus director of Campus Crusade for Christ, who organized the event.

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Penley, who organized yesterday’s event by sending an e-mail to various Christian groups on campus, also invited members of the Pride Alliance, the campus group that supports lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students that organized Tuesday’s counter demonstration.

Penley said it was important to reach out to the Pride Alliance because they had been shown the most hate by Soulwinners Ministries, and hatred toward campus community members was one of the main things Campus Crusade was trying to challenge and diminish. Although Campus Crusade doesn’t condone homosexual activity, it also doesn’t condone hatred toward homosexuals, and that distinction was worth emphasizing, Penley said.”

Ryan Penley contributed an editorial to the Diamondback, which they printed. It says – in part

“They were furious and raging about this “Christian” on the campus and his preaching about homosexuals going to hell. It piqued my curiosity, to say the least, so I asked them what was going on. They pointed me to the ampitheater, and that’s when I saw it for myself.

As a Christian who works full-time in ministry with students at this university, I was embarrassed and ashamed. Time and time again, people like this show up and display our ignorance.

There were many things that frustrated me about this guy. I just could not believe he called himself a Christian and then on the back of his “Fear God” shirt, it read “Christians do not sin.” I just wanted to go up and punch this guy and beat him with his own sign. Therein lies proof Christians do sin, because that desire probably didn’t please God.

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So yes, according to the Bible, homosexuality, drunkenness and sex outside of marriage are “sins,” but so are lying (oops), jealousy (oops again), pride (are you serious?), selfishness (oh crap, I’m definitely screwed!), etc. Sin is sin in God’s eyes. What I mean is that my selfishness is just as displeasing to God as someone else’s homosexual actions. Yet for some reason these people come on the campus and point the finger at people’s homosexuality and not at my selfishness. That’s just wrong.”